Happy New Year
by TwiceKnightley
Summary: A little fluffy one shot about the family at New Year.


_**Happy New Year and thank you for reading and reviewing Bells. This will probably be my last story for a while. I hope you enjoy it.**_

Scooting out of bed Molly moved in pursuit of her fleeing husband. He had been cosseting her all through Christmas, refusing to let her help with the preparations or cooking. Gina had taken over the kitchen, Max and Charles had taken over responsibility for keeping the children entertained making sure Molly had only the twins to see to. Even with them he had assisted with nappy changing and baths. Guilt was an amazing motivator.

Stuart, Gina and Charles had consumed minimum alcohol. Nan had used the remains of Dave's stash to clean the drains. Sam and Pip had been on their best behaviour following their foray into the world of alcohol, worried that Father Christmas would miss them out. Lucy was loving having two more babies to mother, assessing whether both babies and Beth would fit in her truck. Thanks to Molly's prior organisation, Christmas went by like a dream.

Now Charles had dropped a party bomb and made a sharp exit. She couldn't believe he'd done it again and she'd swear he hadn't been drunk since the wedding reception so he must have done it deliberately.

"Charles James don't you run away from me. What do you mean, we're having a New Year party?" By the time she'd made it to the bedroom door he'd vanished from sight and he wasn't even wearing camouflage.

Giving birth to twins and the logistics of life at the double had been a major shock, a good one but a shock non the less. The large baby they thought they were expecting turned out to be two perfect tiny human beings. Molly was overwhelmed with the thought of three babies under the age of two, of being the mother of six. She'd always said she would never turn in to her mum, surrounded by children but here she was. And now Charles had thrown a party in to the mix.

Returning to the bedroom she set the baby monitor and then headed downstairs. She found the three adults and four children in the snug playing board games. They all looked innocent, too innocent, smiling up at her. "Mummy," beamed Lucy "Did you have a good nap? We're having a party but Daddy says not to tell you."

"Thanks Luce, that was really helpful." Charles gave Molly a sheepish grin. "Okay, I confess. I invited friends and family for a New Year party. It was just after the twins were born and I was phoning round to let people know. I was still a bit hungover. Alright, a lot hungover and when Elvis said we should celebrate I sort of agreed and it went from there. So really, when you think about it, you should blame Elvis." He suggested hopefully.

Shaking her head she flopped down onto his lap, the only space available in the crowded snug. "You really are hopeless Charles." Still, she was smiling so he had hopes that he'd got away with it.

"So, what are your plans for this party? What have you got organised?"

She looked around the adults hoping that one of them might respond but all three faces looked blankly back at her.

"Well we thought we'd get Christmas over first." Volunteered Gina, looking imploringly at Max.

"We didn't like to get too far ahead without your say so. After all, it's your house." Smiling ingratiatingly Max hoped that didn't sound too much like passing the buck.

"I've done a list of who's invited." Charles added helpfully.

"That's a start I suppose." Who would have thought four years ago that Molly Dawes would be married with six children, taking on the mission of a New Year party with more organisational skill than Major Charles James of the British Army. "And as for you," she pinned Max with a stare and wag of her finger. "It's your house as much as it's ours and always will be."

Deliberately wriggling around on his lap she put her arms around he neck. "So where's this list?" and planted a forgiving kiss on his lips. She wasn't going to admit it but she loved it when all their family and friends got together. She even loved the organisation of it, especially when she has so many adults available to keep the kids occupied. She'd have enough child herding after the new year when everyone went home and Charles was back at work which she was dreading if she was honest.

Charles's cough brought her back to the present, "it's erm, well it's, actually I haven't got a written list per se but I've got the names in my head. Well most of them I think."

Falling back against him laughing, she shook her head. "At risk of repeating myself, you really are a hopeless cockwomble"

Beth chose that moment to climb from her Grandma's lap into Molly's and give her a sloppy kiss before saying, "tomble" with a beaming smile causing Charles to start laughing.

Having finally got all the children into bed, the four adults sat in the comfort of the drawing room in the glow of the Christmas lights. Molly held the pad and was writing down the names thrown at her while Charles was busy texting those who hadn't already been invited and accepted. All the usual suspects had been invited; the Dawes family plus additions; the Strong family plus George and Nan; 2 Section lads and their other halves; the Harte family plus any of the SF lads who were available and finally various neighbours and friends of both the younger and senior James. It was looking to be quite a large party and Molly and Gina were in their element.

The following day was time to get things rolling. Charles and Max were delegated the role of logistics, organising a marquee and heaters as well as additional seating. "None of them dead uncomfortable fold up wooden things mind. My bum needs something well padded still." Molly informed them and was sure she heard "Well padded arse already" as they walked away. They were also in charge of keeping Sam and Pip out of mischief, which was usually a full time job in itself.

Lucy, who had become a wonderful big sister was happy keeping Beth occupied whether it involved pulling her round in the infamous truck, reading her stories or just climbing in to the playpen with her and building numerous towers to knock down. Her favourite activity was teaching Beth new words. Thankfully her own vocabulary was slightly less colourful than Pip's had been at that age. Gina and Molly listened to her currently trying to get Beth to say 'Happy New Year'

"Max and I will do the shopping. I'd suggest sending Max and Charles but I dread to think what we'd get if the exact things weren't available. I once sent him down to that organic shop for some shallots but they didn't have any so he brought a jar of pickled onions instead."

Molly chuckled as she continued to write things down. "I could go with you you know. I'm sure the twins can manage without me for a couple of hours."

"No, it's only a week since you gave birth, you should be taking it easy, not lugging heavy shopping bags about, not to mention fighting crowds and standing in queues. We'll do it. That reminds me, there's something I need to ask you about." They continued chatting and writing, stopping only to make and consume lunch.

Charley and Max were such good babies, fussing only when hungry or in need of a nappy change. Rebecca had pitched in to supplement their baby resources with things Lexi had outgrown so they now had two Moses baskets in the kitchen for warmth as were the other children. Manny kept guard and barked when they cried to make sure someone was aware. Beth referred to both of them as 'baby' and was fascinated by them. Lucy had gone into mothering mode, constantly checking on them and giving Molly or Charles updates on what they were doing, which usually involved sleeping. Sam and Pip liked to check on them too but were much less vocal about what they'd observed than Lucy.

It was two days to the party and the heating had decided to play up. The kitchen was always warm and cosy when the Aga was lit so currently that was the social hub of the family. Max and Gina had gone shopping and Charles had been in the utility with the engineer so Molly decided to make hot chocolate and toast as a treat. The four children sat around the table, Sam helping the little ones spread the topping of their choice on to their toast. "You know Mum, something always happens when you plan a party. First it was Lucy's birthday one when that… well, you know; then there was Lucy's next one when you had Beth and the Grandmas had to take over; then Pip's party this year when the little ones all got chickenpox and it had to be cancelled. Last week it was supposed to be a Christmas party and you had the babies and now the heating has gone off. Do you think we should be having a party?" He grinned as he finished, showing he was teasing her.

"Oi cheeky. Every one of those parties turned out fine. Okay, the last one was a non-starter but this one will make up for it. When the heating gets sorted." She added.

Thankfully Lady Luck was on her side and the engineer was able to sort it in short order so it wasn't long before she was able to shoo the three oldest out of the kitchen. Beth had fallen asleep amongst her cuddly toys so she just left her to sleep. Gina and Max would be knackered by the time they got back so she made a huge pot of stew and dumplings for supper.

The day before the party was hectic, sorting sleeping quarters for everybody. As usual the Dawes boys would bunk in with Sam and Pip; Sam had been given a room on the second floor for his birthday. Lily would squeeze in with Lucy and Beth in the nursery and Belinda and Dave would sleep on the second floor. That left the currently empty playroom for Paul and his fiancé. Max and Charles were in the process of converting it into a bedroom for Lucy and Beth so the twins could eventually move into the nursery. Nan and George had temporarily moved into his old flat and had offered to put up Jade and Bella with their boyfriends; Rebecca and Stuart had two spare rooms which they had offered out along with a bed settee in the study which pretty much took care of the 2 Section lads. Elvis and his team mostly lived locally but those who didn't would stay with him. Sorted!

The weather man had forecast snow for New Year's Eve so Max, Charles and Stuart put the marquee up the day before in the hope it would keep any snow off the garden.

Molly, Gina and Becky were elbow deep in food preparation while the children, under Sam's supervision, played games in the snug. Everything was going smoothly and Molly was worried. She wasn't used to this, as Sam had pointed out, her parties were usually preceded by some kind of drama.

New Year's Eve dawned bright and clear, no sign of the forecast snow. The children were so excited they could barely contain them selves so Molly put them to work. She loaded up Lucy's truck with napkins and plastic glasses and sent her in the direction of Charles who was currently setting up a drinks table in the 'big tent'. The boys were given the job of making sure the bedrooms were ready and that clean towels were put in the bathroom.

The Dawes family arrived together in the minibus that Baz had hired again, dropping people off at their various accommodations. The arrival of the Dawes clan calmed the James children who happily showed off their new siblings. The twins amazingly slept through the whole process.

People began arriving shortly before 8pm. Drink had been set up in two points, in the dining room and marquee; food was laid out on every surface in the kitchen and people seemed to fill every space in the house and garden.

Charles crept up behind Molly, putting his arms around her and pulling her back in to himself. "Dad says he'd like to say something at midnight. Do you know anything about it?" He nuzzled in to her neck distracting her from his questions. "Has mum said anything to you?" He'd hoped to lull her into a relaxed state and then hit her with the questions so she'd answer without thinking. He knew that she knew something because he'd caught them a couple of times talking in whispers and then going silent when he walked in the room.

"Not sure what you're asking, Bossman, she talks to me a lot. In fact, she's been giving me all the gossip about Nan's romance and wedding. Did you know Nan and George had been over to stay with them a few times?" It worked, she'd managed to move his focus on to something else. Charles loved to hear about gossip. His gob was so regimented and his colleagues very careful about maintaining the chain of command that sharing stories with Molly was a release for him.

The evening wore on with people moving in and out of the different areas, stopping to speak with Molly or standing in groups chatting. Beth, Lexi and Dylan Harte, named for Bob Dylan apparently, were taken up to the nursery and put to bed quite early. The twins were in their crib in the main bedroom and the other children mingled amongst the adults under Molly's watchful eye.

At five minutes before midnight everyone gathered in the marquee which was the largest area. The snow had begun to fall just after two pm and created a hushed atmosphere inside the tent. Max moved to the front of the crowd, Gina tucked in by his side,

"If no one minds I would like to say a few words. Four years ago our lives were abruptly changed forever. We lost two amazingly wonderful people from our lives. But that tragedy has brought us so much more than sadness, it has brought us joy and happiness; three new grandchildren and a wonderful new daughter in law."

Molly felt Charles react as his father spoke, pulling her further under his arm and squeezing her tight.

"We also gained new friends and old friends" he raised his glass to Nan and George. "a huge extended family by marriage and a family of friends."

His speech had included everyone in the tent. A few were wiping their eyes but most were smiling and nodding in response.

"This past four years, so much has happened, good things and bad, which made us realise something. We missed being in the thick of it. So, after talking with Molly, we have decided to move back home. Initially we'll stay here but eventually we'll buy a small place of our own. So here's to a new year full of wonderful things." He raised his glass just as the countdown started on the radio.

"You little monkey, why didn't you tell me?" Charles brought Molly in front of him so he could see her face. "Are you okay with having your in-laws living with us?"

"Of course I am. I love them both. Are you happy?"

Before he could answer the final chime sounded and the tent erupted to shouts of Happy New Year and the kissing melee started. Charles pulled Molly to one side unfortunately whilst trying to dodge around Mansfield who had Lucy in his arms, he bumped into one of the fragile poles holding up the marquee. With the weight of the snow on the canvas all it took was the slight nudge and with a dying groan the other poles began to collapse inward bringing the snow laden tent down on top of the occupants.

Finally making it out from under the collapsed tent, Charles pulled Molly into the kitchen and encircled her with his arms, scanning around the room at the laughing guests and children. Bending he put his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"Why wouldn't I be happy Dawsey? Lady Luck is definitely on my side. I love you. Here's to another year of chaos and mayhem in the James' house."

Grinning up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. "Ditto Bossman"

A voice which sounded very much like Elvis shouted, "YESSS! The James are having a party"

 _ **Happy New Year to all the fan fiction writers for some amazing stories and inspiration. And to the readers out there, thank you for your lovely, encouraging reviews. Here's to 2018 and another year of keeping the Our Girl story alive, Hopefully more of you will be inspired to write your own stories for us.**_

 _ **Szczęśliwego nowego roku**_


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